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Saturday, June 20, 2015

Estella Sparkles: Indispensable Makeup Brushes

Makeup brushes changed my life! Ok, that might be overstating it a bit, but they are integral to my makeup adventures.

In the past, when I saw makeup I liked, I really had no idea how the people applying it accomplished the looks. The answer: brushes! Applying makeup is a lot like painting, which is one of the reasons I think I enjoy it so much. Here are a few types of brushes and tools I can't live without.

The Noble Makeup Sponge

I know! It's not a brush, but it's still must-have. I used to apply my foundation or BB cream with my fingers, but I always felt like the finish was a little off. It definitely didn't look as perfect as what I saw on other people. Now I dot my foundation or cream base around my face, wet my makeup sponge (be sure to squeeze it out really well), and I dab it all over my face to blend the foundation in and cover my face. This step also absorbs any extra product and leaves a beautiful, non-streaky finish. The Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge (orange, available at Ulta, Walmart, all around) is my favorite for its shape and a great price tag. I recently grabbed the blue one (brand forgotten) at TJ Maax for $5, too, and it works just as well.

The Fearless Fluffy Crease Brush

This is the brush that has made the biggest difference for me. The fluffy crease brush is a must if you want a nice dimensional look to your eyeshadow.

Whether you want to go really natural or more dramatic, having a couple of fluffy blending brushes will serve you well. These are perfect for getting right into the crease where you can see that cool taupe shade in the pic above. You can use a small, flat brush to add a different color to the lid or outer corner, and then go back in with your fluffy blending brush to make those shades mesh.

For no makeup makeup days, I really like to take a warm or cool shade...something just a few shades darker than my skin, and add some dimension in the crease. It just looks finished without screaming EYESHADOW.

I do find that the fluffy crease brush can be one of the harder-to-find brushes from the drugstore, but there are a few. EcoTools (Ulta, drugstore) or Sonia Kashuk (Target) have some especially good ones. They look like this:

I also really like the cute, inexpensive Pop-Arazzi brand from CVS. The "eye crease blender" brush...third from the left...is one I really enjoy for blending in the crease and all around.

Just Because It's Uneven Doesn't Mean It's Unstable Stippling Brush

I think I love stippling brushes so much because they're multi-taskers.

Stippling brushes are cut unevenly so that some of the brush hairs are longer than others. This makes them perfect for dabbing and swirling. If you're highlighting your face you probably want to choose a small stipple brush and dab it on lightly so you don't look like a grease ball. If you're using a larger stippling brush for blush or bronzer, you can dab first and the brush is soft enough to swirl and blend. I love the e.l.f. Studio line. The brushes are inexpensive at around $3, but they're much better quality than the white-handled e.l.f. brushes you'll find.

6 comments:

I have a few brushes, but I definitely don't use them to their best effect. I've always applied foundation with my fingers -- I tried using a brush once, like I've seen in videos, but it turned out AWFUL. It looked so thick and streaky -- but now I want to try using a sponge! I also had no idea how to do the crease thing, so thanks!

I'm really picky about which brushes I use with foundation-like products. It has to be something really densely packed so it actually buffs it in and doesn't just move it around and streak. The sponge is great! And the crease secret is lots of blending. "Windshield wiper" motions! lol

That works, too! Once I started doing lots of multicolored blendy eyeshadow looks, I had to go for the brushes. It is possible with fingers but takes more time with a 5 yo hollering at me from the other room. lol I hope you enjoy the foundation!